General questions from a noob looking to start a website

[dangles]

Alright so I'm looking to start a website by recruiting a web developer / programmer. I need to know certain information though.

If I get my site hosted on something like www. godaddy.com, at what point may I need an external server to handle all the traffic [assuming there was a lot]? And how would you even go about getting this? Basically I am unsure as how to even begin creating the website. How much would this server cost/month?

Also, what could I do to make sure the web developer does not steal my idea and design the website for himself leaving me with no monetary gain? Basically all I have is the idea, with no way to implement it, so they could very easily do this to me.

What should I be worried about when creating a website, in terms of malicious people or bots? [this website will not offer any items for sale, maybe a donation box though].

I will keep questions coming as I have them, but if anyone can lead me in the right direction here I would really appreciate it!!

Thank you.

[ScriptMan]

First off. Friends don't let friends use a hosting company like GoDaddy. They encourage them to buy some real Linux hosting and one that uses cPanel is usually suggested. IMO, DirectAdmin is just as good but most people seem to prefer the cPanel brand.

Almost all sites that don't have money to burn start off with shared hosting. When the need arises they move to another shared account with less users per server, a VPS or dedicated box. The amount of traffic, scripts in use and page views determine when those moves occur. It is a very rare site that needs more than shared for the first year or even 2.

Deal with a reputable developer and not some fly by night one from the middle east, use a written contract, make them sign an NDA and make it a work for hire so that you own any copyrights. Then you should be fine.

[dangles]

Thank you for the quick response.

Would this shared hosting plan be available from other hosting websites [not GoDaddy]? And if so, in the event that traffic became an issue, would it be a simple fix to change to a Vps or dedicated box?

I am wondering realistically how much money I should expect to spend for the first year to get the website going? I plan on recruiting a University student on campus to help me with the real guts of the work, since they will probably be a lot cheaper/could potentially just split profits.

Now I mean I don't think I have any copyrightable ideas on my website, it simply involves a new idea for a website...is this something that potentially I would have to get protected? Because I mean like it is not overly groundbreaking..and I know that for example, Google came up with a new idea for a website [search engine obviously] but you can't really protect that and create a monopoly on the idea..can you?

[ScriptMan]

I have no clue what type of site we are discussing or how many resources it it will use.

$5-$10 per month prepaid for a year, or about 30% more per month paid monthly should buy you a decent shared hosting account for a start up site. Avoid the unlimited plans, they are mostly scams. Completely avoid any of the free hosting plans.

[dangles]

Do you have any recommended companies I could use? And if my site was using too many resources would it be a quick fix to change hosting type?

Thanks again.

[dan thorley]

Other options include setting up a Wordpress website or blog where you can do much of the work relatively easy yourself. Failing that try www.agentsofvalue.com where you can hire a webmaster for long or short term projects and they are highly trained and very profesional.

[ScriptMan]

Originally Posted by dangles

Do you have any recommended companies I could use? And if my site was using too many resources would it be a quick fix to change hosting type?

Thanks again.

I don't make specific recommendations because I am a moderator. If I were in your shoes I would look at HostGator and compare all other plans I looked at to the plans they have. They are very good, but maybe not the best value.

Ignore all space amount larger than a gigabyte. Chance are you will only use a few hundred MB. Bandwidth in excess of 50-100 GB is also something you will never use on a shared account.

Do look at the maximum number of Databases and simultaneous connections allowed. Do look at what CPU or other server resources you are allowed to use. Most people never use the space or bandwidth. They get into trouble over the connections or resource usage. Hosts usually hide this information in the TOS or Usage guidelines. They almost never put it in the specification area.

Also ignore any host who does not use a cPanel or DirectAdmin control panel. The primary reasons are: it indicates cheapness and make it very hard to move your site later.

[Walter Warner]

I personally use Blue Host as a service for the past three years and I love it. I have unlimited bandwidth and I can have unlimited domain names. They also use a cPanel. By the way if you are scared of the web designer stealing your idea than I would suggest writing up a contract. Everytime I create websites for clients I always write a contract, just so I can cover all the bases.